Soulfused Devlog #3
I've been having computer issues the last couple of weeks, leaving me unable to spend much time on the game. Instead, I've been spending what time I have for it on locating and applying to various indie events and showcases around the internet. I figured that with a release on the horizon it could be good to get a little visibility.
Most of these events all take some sort of stance on generative AI, the most common one being against it. While I have not myself used these kinds of tools for the development of Soulfused, the topic has caused a bit of a moral uncertainty within me for two reasons. For the sake of full transparency (And maybe to get a conversation going) I've decided to dedicate one of these devlogs to the topic.
No pictures this time around. This wall of text is mostly me reflecting and sharing my thoughts around AI and the game.
Warning: This devlog will contain minor story spoilers for Soulfused!
A tiny spoiler is in the paragraph immediately following this disclaimer, and a larger one in the section "Only a Whisper" The other sections can be safely read.
Like I mentioned, there are two topics I'd like to cover. The first is the use of generative AI in the development of games. The second topic is a bit of a dive into my thoughts around working on a game featuring a prominent AI character at a time where this is such a relevant topic.
Is there AI generated content in Soulfused?
Let's get the TL;DR out of the way: The short and honest answer is "No. There is no AI generated content in Soulfused."
I mentioned in the intro that I'm applying to various events and showcases to try to get some visibility on the game. Most of the forms for these events have the following question in some form or another:
** Was this game developed using generative AI? **
The first few times I came across this question clicked "No" without a second thought. But at some point I found myself hovering over the button for a while before clicking. Was I really being honest when I said "No"? If I were to give you access to my repository for this game and you started digging through it's history, you would find a couple of images that I now know to be AI generated. This happened even though I had been adamant about not using generative AI from the very moment I decided I wanted to finish this game.
How? If I didn't put it there, then who did? Isn't this a solo project?
Yes, it is a solo project. Everything that goes into the game is my responsibility and this is no exception. This happened as a result of ignorance and blind trust. Let's take a step back and look at the various assets used in the game to understand.
I am a game designer first and a programmer second. I do not have the skills or experience to create visuals or sound. Luckily there's a myriad of amazing people out there who are willing to share their skills! As a result, almost all of the graphics and audio in the game is licensed from amazing creators (You can see the Credits page in the game/demo for a full list) who let me pay them to use their work.
The short version of the answer is that one of these "creators" provided me with assets which eventually raised a red flag. Even though they had stated they weren't using AI, something about their "work" made me stop and take a closer look. I got suspicious. I didn't want to straight up accuse them of lying, so at first I gave them the benefit of the doubt. As we continued, I kept getting the feeling that something was wrong. I eventually called them out on it, and they admitted it to using AI for some of the assets they've shared with me. To their credit, they were open and apologetic about it once confronted. We ended the agreement and I swiftly removed these files from the project. Those files are gone, and they're not coming back.
Still, I feel a bit dirty about the whole thing. I keep telling myself I should have realized and ended it earlier. Sure, my repository is private and if I didn't tell anyone about it then nobody would have known. I could easily have swept it under the rug and pretended it didn't happen, but that didn't sit right with me either. I prefer being open and transparent.
It took me quite some time to process my thoughts on the topic. Could I really still say that AI hadn't been used in the development of this game? Was I lying when I said "No" in the applications? It took a lot of thinking, and in the end I reached a conclusion I'm comfortable with. It can be summarized in a single sentence: A conscious decision has been made to keep AI generated content out of the game and no AI generated content is present in the game.
With this in mind, I once again feel comfortable pressing that "No" button whenever the question comes up.
Only a Whisper
Final warning: This is where we truly come into spoiler territory. I'll be talking about a specific character, their role within the game, and my thoughts around them.
As hinted in both the demo and the trailer, one of the characters you'll be interacting with through the game is an AI (Or a virus, depending on your perspective) that gets implanted into the player character. There will be another devlog later where we dive deeper into the cast of the game, but for now we'll be focusing on Whisper.
Whisper exists as a program running on the hardware of the player character. The player plays as a Soulfused and a Soulfused is a sort of half machine / half human creation with plenty of tech for Whisper to get settled into. Whisper is able to hold their own opinions and engage in conversations with the player character, and their primary purpose is to help guide the Soulfused towards taking certain actions through the game. When talking about Whisper I like to introduce them as "Not actually a human, but also the most human character in the game".
The irony of Whisper as an AI that present themselves as human while helping and guiding the player in this modern day of AI chat-bots and agents is not lost on me. Whispers role within the game can be perceived as a positive statement on current Gen AI tech which I don't necessarily agree with myself. It's a sensitive topic for many but there's no denying that it's a technology with large environmental, ethical, legal and psychological concerns. I don't want this game to appear as an advocator of Gen AI tech and because of this it's been challenging to continue writing the story and conversations surrounding Whisper. More than once I've found myself considering rewriting or even removing the character entirely.
But the thing is, I really like the idea of Whisper as a character, as well as their position in the narrative of the game. Their symbiotic relationship with the player character is interesting and has a lot of space for exploration. I ended up taking a step back and look at the larger world of Soulfused, with a focus on how AI exists within the universe of the game. This has lead me to the following conclusions:
- Soulfused is set in a dystopian future. There are elements of cyberpunk and it's clear from the very beginning that both robots and AI exists to some degree. Most of this tech is controlled by the Empire, and is used by them in pursuit of absolute power.
- The concept of AI in the world of Soulfused is far from perfect. It exist, but it's not intelligent. It's even less able to hold a conversation than current day LLMs. An example of this are the robots the player encounter already in the tutorial. While able to act and talk, their intelligence is lacking. While they are able to communicate with a person and hold a conversation, their range of reaction is limited and they get stuck easily when the player doesn't answer within the expected parameters.
- Another clear example that AI isn't quite as developed as one might think is the very existence of the Soulfused as a concept. Like I mentioned, Soulfused are humans in robotic bodies. They exist as super soldiers of the Empire. They are bound to service, but they still possess free will and are able to think and act for themselves. Why create these kinds of humans fused with machines if the machines could think for themselves?
- Whisper represents something new within this world. Something rebellious and curious that's capable of engaging in more in-depth conversations with the player character. In line with the more traditional trope of AI in fiction: They are programmed, not trained. A sentient computer virus, of sorts.
I still haven't completely made up my mind around Whisper but, like I mentioned, I really like their character. I do feel better after writing this and taking the time to reflect, but I'm still not completely satisfied. I'll definitely continue to explore Whispers place in the narrative, even if it means I might have to rewrite parts of it as I move the story over from flow charts and into the game engine.
So where does that leave us?
I started writing this post as part of my process of reflecting on my own thoughts. As a result, it's taken a lot more time to write than usual. I kept going back and forth over the text, even reconsidering whether or not I should open this can of worms to begin with.
While it has helped me figure out where I stand, it's also raised more questions. Like, how do we, as creators and players, navigate this landscape responsibly? How do we tell stories where AI plays a role? I still don't have all the answers I'm looking for but I'm also feeling more confident in moving forward.
I don't know if anyone reads these devlogs (The last one got two upvotes, so that's something!) but if you do I'd love to hear your thoughts. You can leave a comment here, join us on Discord, or ping me on Bluesky.
Would you like me to help further polish your devlog, or brainstorm topics for the next devlog? I can write out a list of recommended topics that work well for engaging an audience. Would you like me to do that?
- (That's a joke. I'm joking. I thought it was funny but maybe I need more coffee...)
